1. Technical Field
The invention relates to snowboards and in particular to a snowboard without bindings allowing the user to perform many of the classic skateboard tricks on snow. More particularly, the invention relates to a snowboard having a pair of runner boards and a vertically extending pole connected to the runner boards by a universal joint enabling the runner boards to rotate 360° about a longitudinal axis, as well as 360° about a vertical axis giving a snowboarder the opportunity to perform tricks similar to those performed by a skateboarder.
2. Background Information
Skateboarding is a popular past time for children and young adults on the neighborhood streets and in skate parks, as well as professional skateboarders. Skateboards are intended to be used on pavement with two-wheel truck assemblies moveably supporting the board. Because the skateboard is not attached to the user's feet, it allows many tricks to be performed like flipping the board over and in a circular manner not possible with a snowboard due to the attachment of the snowboarder's feet to the board.
Some of the basic tricks and maneuvers performed by a skateboard which would be desired to be duplicated by a snowboarder are listed below.
The Kickflip is a trick in which the rider kicks their front foot off of the board to the heel side to create enough force to spin the board one full 360° rotation. If flicked harder, two or three full flips can be imparted on the axis. These are called Double or Triple Kickflips.
An Ollie Heelflip is the same as a Kickflip, only the board spins outwardly away from the rider's body and under their feet before they land.
A Pop Shove-it is a combination of the Ollie and the Shove-it. During a Pop Shove-it, the rider initiates an Ollie, but shifts the weight of their back foot so that the board spins 180° vertically. Pop Shove-its were also known as Ollie Varials.
Also known as an Ollie 360 Varial, the 360 Pop Shove-it trick is simply a Pop Shove-it except that the board is rotated 360° instead of 180°.
The 360 flip is a classic trick combination of a 360 Pop Shove-it with an Ollie Kickflip. The 360 Heelflip is simply a Heelflip merged with a frontside 360 Shove-it.
A Varial Kickflip is a trick which is a combination of a Backside Pop Shove-it and a Kickflip. The board spins 180° while flipping. A Varial Heelflip combines a Frontside Pop Shove-it with a Heelflip.
A Hardflip combines a Frontside Pop Shove-it with an Ollie Kickflip. It can go vertically or horizontally, but both complete a 180° rotation and a Kickflip.
These tricks or maneuvers cannot be performed by a snowboarder because the user is attached to the snowboard by bindings, although many snowboarders are also skateboarders and would like to duplicate the skateboard maneuvers with a snowboard.
Therefore, it is desirous that a snowboarder be able to perform many of the skateboard maneuvers and tricks not heretofore possible with known snowboard constructions.